Sunday, April 25, 2010

General Mills is going to be debuting their new gluten-free Bisquick and Hamburger Helper at this year's Annual Celiac Disease Foundation Conference in LA on Saturday May 5th.

Now, while I will admit, I never would have eaten Bisquick before, nor hamburger Helper I still think this is exciting news for the gluten-free community! Not only does it show that a major company is spreading awareness, but it is providing something to the growing gluten-free population. This feels like a huge win, and hopefully other companies and even restaurants will follow suit, and mean that it will be readily available.

To read more about the Bisquick coup, read my article I wrote for Celiac-Disease.com here.

Secondly, yesterday I was craving hummus, but not near a Trader Joe's where I usually buy my hummus. TJ's hummus is so yummy! Anyway, my fall back has always been hummus by Tribe, yet when I went to pick some up I noticed the 'gluten-free' label is gone! (as seen below) I am thinking, why would a company take off a label to promote it is gluten free especially in a time when 'gluten-free' is a huge buzzword. And when the label comes off, it makes me think something is going on in the production that is not making it gluten-free anymore. And the last thing i want to do is to make myself sick.

So, while I am standing in the store, I take out my trusty iPhone and look up the web site, and on the web site it states it is dairy-free, soy-free, vegan and even kosher, but nothing about gluten. Hmmm..... It is a Saturday, so I can't call the company, which I have done many times while standing the grocery stores aisles. So, I buy it anyway, and will find out the answer at home. I sent the question out on Twitter and to the celiac listserv to see if anyone can help me. I received a couple of responses of people who said they eat it with no problem and they are usually very sensitive, and best of all, fellow gluten-free blogger Adventures of a Gluten Free Mom had the same question just a few weeks ago, and received reassurance from Tribe that it is the same recipe, they just changed their packaging. Why?? Who knows. But you can read more about it and see their response from Tribe here. I think I am going to indulge in my hummus as my afternoon snack today with some fresh cut bell pepper.

So interesting about Tribe hummus. I used to buy their brand because of the 'gf label.' I've been making my own recently and now it's hard to go back to the store-bought stuff. I also really like the brand, Cedar's.I agree that I'm not going to run out to the store to buy hamburger helper but it's exciting for the celiac world. Thanks for sharing the news!

I think the gluten-free hamburger helper will help benefit many working moms trying to throw together a quick meal after work. At least it will be a little bit healthier than some alternatives. I probably won't be able to eat because of preservatives, but it is nice to know that we are on their radar!